How to check if a DateTime object is in the past or future relative to the current date and time in PHP?

To check if a DateTime object is in the past or future relative to the current date and time in PHP, you can compare it with the current DateTime object. Here's an example:

$currentDateTime = new DateTime(); // current date and time
$targetDateTime = new DateTime('2022-12-31'); // target date and time

if ($targetDateTime > $currentDateTime) {
    echo "The target date and time is in the future.";
} elseif ($targetDateTime < $currentDateTime) {
    echo "The target date and time is in the past.";
} else {
    echo "The target date and time is the same as the current date and time.";
}

In this example, we compare the $targetDateTime object with the $currentDateTime object using greater than (>) and less than (<) operators. If the target is greater than the current, it means it's in the future. If it's less than the current, it's in the past. If they are equal, it means they are the same.

You can modify the $targetDateTime object to suit your requirements.